


Scout wants to read

by posumundi



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Emotional, Fluff, Found Family, M/M, Reading, Wholesome, also first time posting on here wish me luck, except i jsut dont have anybody, i also just want all of em to be a big family, i mean there phys displays of affection still but yknow, im a pussy, like not focus on the physical relationship but the emotional, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27566734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/posumundi/pseuds/posumundi
Summary: A story of a young man wanting to read and thusly strengthening his relationships with mates
Relationships: Scout/Sniper (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> god forgive me for writing tf2 ship fanfic in 2020

Scout wanted to read.

  
Obviously, he was able to read already, but not very well. He was a simple Boston boy who fought a lot with his brothers and friends, who didn’t pay the most attention to school and always had somebody else to do the important reading for him - but not anymore.

  
The boy wanted to read himself.

  
The guys at base were up to help him with his spontaneous requests for the most part. Spy avoided him and his antics, Sniper avoided people in general and Medic had the tendency to bury himself in research, but they didn’t outright tell him to piss off either. At least not most of the time.  
Scout however already feared that these guys would most likely be the only ones able to help him out substantially. Soldier didn’t really know how to read, Demo’s a drunk, Pyro wasn’t too keen on reading either. Heavy did like to read, but he mostly kept Russian books around, and Engie was actually constantly busy, repairing this, helping somebody out with that, as opposed to others that were just lazing around, and Scout did not want to rob the man of his free time.

  
He had this glorious idea to learn how to read while lying on his back on a particularly slow day, staring at the ceiling and being bored to death. There was a thunderstorm going on outside, not exactly the most ideal weather for running a lap, and Scout really wasn’t interested in watching sitcoms like “The Mothers-in-Law” - no offense to whomever may like those. Listening to music was nice, but he couldn’t quite pass entire days just by listening to it. So, he thought to himself, what if I read something?, which was an idea quickly crushed by the fact that he didn’t own books and couldn’t read above elementary level anyways.

  
Thus he bounced from his bed like a child being offered it’s favourite sweets after thinking about whom he may bother with that idea and dashed out of his room, taking two steps downstairs at a time. Demo and Soldier were sitting in the living room, yelling about something, while Heavy was watching exactly the sitcom Scout refused to watch. What a good man.

  
Nobody even as much as turned around when Scout crashed into the room, used to his sudden outbreaks and ideas. He was about to ask his comrades about their dear other teammates’ whereabouts, as he noticed a heavy wave of smoke lingering at the top of the room.  
“Spy!”, he yelled. “Come out, you French bastard!” Scout heard somebody sigh as Heavy looked mildly annoyed at the sudden loud noise, however immediately turning his attention to the TV again. Spy uncloaked and groaned, looking at Scout angrily. “What do you want?” he asked, exasperated and dreading another long day of entertaining the young rowdy.

  
“You know how to read, right?” Scout looked at Spy and flashed his nicest smile, the other man now turning away, unfazed. “Whatever you want me to do,” he began. “I am NOT doing it.” Scout sighed and ran up to Spy. “Come on, comeoncomeoncomeo-”  
“Don’t make me stab you.”

  
Scout made a hurt face as Demoman let out a loud laugh and hurriedly moved away. “Could just tell me to kiss off like a normal person…” He grimaced and turned into Heavy’s general direction, ready to jump and surprise him, however deciding against what would be another careless step towards madness for his teammates in the end. Thus, like the good child of God he was, he simply tapped Heavy’s shoulder and exclaimed: “Yo, you know where the others are, right?”

  
Heavy leaned back a bit to speak over his shoulder. “Medic i Engie, da. Medic is in lab, Engineer in his garage. The others, no.” Scout beamed at that answer and enthusiastically slapped his hands onto the back of the sofa. “Thanks, Heavy!”, he yelled and bolted down the hallways as he had decided get the task of annoying Engie done first. Despite not wanting to rob the man of his free time, he decided that asking once or twice wouldn’t hurt.

He nearly crashed into the garage door, then felt like he almost broke the door, and, to top it off, actually stumbled over some metal scraps, barely catching himself before hitting the floor.

  
“Calm down Son”, Engie said with a laugh in his voice. He held onto Scout’s arm to help him find his balance again, waiting for the young runner to regain his cool.

  
“Engie!” - “That’s my name, boy” - Scout sighed and resumed talking happily - “I gotta learn how to read better!” Engineer looked at him and scratched his head. “Sure, but I don’t really have books around”, he said before the younger one could start a monologue about how great he is and “it’s not like he needed to learn it again, he’s just curious”.“I can’t show you more than some schematics and a few instructional booklets. Where’s the sudden interest from?”

  
Scout shrugged. “was bored”, he said and crossed his arms above his head, slightly stretching. Engie laughed a hearty laugh and moved to his shelves. “What kinda mechanics you like, son?”, he asked. “Easy to understand ones”, Scout deadpanned, and Engie laughed again. “Awrighty then, sit down there, I’m fixin’ ya some. Can’t really help ya for long now, since we’ve gotta eat soon, but I’ll try.”

  
So Scout sat down and waited for Engineer to read with him.

Two hours later, Scout trod out of the garage, mentally exhausted. They had spent most of the time with Scout trying to read obscure sentences and Engie helping him, occasionally explaining what a word meant. On his way back to his room he was called out to by somebody, whom he identified as Pyro after turning around.

  
“Oh, hey, Mumbles”, Scout muttered, obviously tired. Pyro mumbled something which Scout loosely interpreted as “We ordered takeout” and immediately shot up to stand straight again, just to sprint into the kitchen.

  
Pizza! The team got pizza, exactly what Scout needed now. He flung himself onto a chair and grabbed a pizza box, hearing Pyro giggle behind him. “You judgin’ me, brother?”, Scout asked playfully.

  
Demoman put his bottle down with a loud thud. “Aye, we heard yer tryin’ tae read?” Scout laughed. “I sure hope so? I discussed it in front of you!” Demo stared at Scout blankly for a few seconds and then took another sip from the bottle. “Fair enuff.”

  
Soldier practically barked from the other side of the table. “I recognize your efforts and have found a book you may like to read!” A book was thrown at him, nearly giving him a heart attack, just closely missing his pizza as it fell onto the table. Scout took a good look at it, trying to figure out it’s title. “The… rai… ree… rise anb…? And… fall…” Medic laughed loudly, while Soldier flashed him an understanding grin. “I can’t read it either”, he boasted. “but I’m sure it has some of America’s victories in it!” Now Scout laughed as well. “Thanks, Soldier.” He was met with a salute from Soldier at that.

  
That night, Scout went to sleep with a headache.

He proceeded to spend his free time with the new booklets he was given by Engineer. Whenever they came out of battle and he had exercised, or on their free days, he would try to read them. It took him way too long to read even one paragraph by other’s standards, but Scout was quite proud of himself. His only issue was having to run off to find somebody just to ask them what certain words he couldn’t decipher were.

  
After around a week of messing around with the manuals, he ran back to Engineer to tell him his woeful tales. The Engineer listened and laughed at appropriate times, ignoring or not minding Scout’s prideful boasts, until he finished.  
“Well”, Engie picked up a sentence. “maybe you should ask somebody else for an easier book?”

  
Scout grimaced. “You’re right, but wouldn’t that be like admittin’ I’m super bad at it?” He swung his legs and jumped off the counter he was sitting on. He knew he was bad at certain things, like reading for example - but he didn’t want to be reminded of it or let the others know!  
“Son, I don’t think somebody like Medic would judge ya.”

  
Scout grunted. Of course, his concern wasn’t being judged - but it’s not like Engie would understand a cool dude like him. However, the man had a point. Thus, Scout quickly said goodbye and ran off to Medic’s lab, hoping he’d have at least some easy to read books. Yeah, the man was smart, probably read like a champ, but he’s gotta start somewhere, right?

  
He reached the Medic’s lab without interruptions and wildly knocked on the door, not even waiting for a reply.”Yo, Medic!”, he yelled, stumbling into the room. The medic turned around, slightly surprised at the sudden interruption, and, thank God, Scout thought, he wasn’t holding onto something. “What are you doing hier, Scout?”, Medic asked, touching his glasses in a gesture of intrigue.

  
“Ya got any easy books here, Doc?” Medic smiled. “Well, mein Junge”, he said, turned around and looked at one of his bookshelves. “Want to take a look for yourself?” Scout walked up to said shelf and looked at the books.They were mostly monocolored heavy blocks of paper, but that wouldn’t stop him. He took one of the books and tried to read it’s title, giving up quickly under the Medic’s gaze, pretended that he knew what it said and opened the first page. He almost felt like he started sweating from trying to frantically decipher it’s contents. “Yeah, Doc, I totally ain’t into this”, he said, trying to seem slick, while Medic’s smile grew wider and he nodded along. “but I’ll take it!”

  
“Well, I hope you will enjoy it! But I am quite busy, so I hope you will be fine without my Assistenz?”, Medic said, seeing right through Scout. The latter gulped, proudly pulled his chest out and nodded. “Sure thing! I’ll be off then!” And the Medic simply watched and giggled as the Scout walked out of his room with a book about the reproductive behaviors of primates.

Scout mulled over the book for a bit, doing his very best to decipher even a few words, just a few, come on, just, like, one sentence - and sighed. He had to admit defeat, as much as he despised that. He could not read like a champ.

  
Maybe he had to beg Spy again…  
He’d really rather not.  
The only character left to annoy so early on was Sniper. Not stupid in any way, a very calm and simple man, not bothered with too much information, only here to do his job. He only let out his inner beast when challenged on the battlefield.

  
He was not just a good man overall, he was also a good friend especially - he may not come to the base as often as some wish, but at least Scout got along with Sniper pretty well. He was the kind of friend you could normally talk to and mess around with no matter how long you didn’t talk to each other before - which was great if you asked Scout, considering Sniper actually didn’t talk that much and listened to Scout’s delusional rambles.

  
Maybe Scout could annoy Sniper with his current project before having to throw away his dignity and beg Spy for assistance again.

  
He thought about the book in his lap again and noticed his headache. Maybe he’d run the headache off and pay a visit to Sniper afterwards, without that damned book.  
Scout stood up and marched into the hallway, motivated to do this.


	2. Chapter 2

Sniper mostly was a man of few words. He could talk, muse even, about topics he liked - identifying marks of animals or certain attributes of bows - but who would even listen to somebody like him talk about that? Most people simply didn’t have any interest in listening to him talk about those things and _that is absolutely fine._ And so, he kept to himself. He didn’t mind being alone, and along the way, he found himself ending up living in his camper on his own most of the time. He didn’t interact with the other mercenaries a whole lot, also due to how he simply was not in their proximity a lot of times. Sometimes, he’d come and eat with them, and they were very fine company, but he simply did not get out into the crowd a lot and the crowd left him his personal space.

And again, _that is absolutely fine._

Hence his absolute confusion when a Scout with a huge grin across his face appeared on his doorstep. Holding a book.  
A book? Sniper was pretty convinced that half the mercs could not read, so why would Scout be carrying a book like that? Unless, …

“Sniper, buddy!”, the energetic young man exclaimed, which made Sniper groan internally. He was not annoyed by Scout himself, but his constant aura of high spirits and a lot of energy tested his nerves sometimes. “You know how to read, right?”  
Sniper raised an eyebrow. Of course that was coming. What else, other than a favor. And why would somebody especially intrude on his personal space _unless_ they needed a favor? Not like he was mad, it was just very in-character for the mercs to forget boundaries and concepts like introverts when they needed something from him. Once, Heavy asked him for help with skinning an animal, and Spy has already asked Sniper to kill somebody he was too busy for himself numerous times, all of that asked not at the dinner table but during unfortunate hours in his camper.

“Yeah, I can. Why are ya askin’, mate?”, Sniper answered the energetic man’s question. That man exactly shot up even straighter - if possible - and showed the book to Sniper. “Can ya help me read this?”  
Sniper scoffed. “I would, but it’s the wrong way around.” Scout laughed and turned it around playfully, then proudly stared at Sniper. “Well?”, he asked, again, and Sniper had to chuckle. Yeah, the Scout’s demeanor may be exhausting occasionally, but he was also a quite funny lad sometimes, even if he did not try to be. “Aye, come in first.”

Sniper stepped back into his camper and gestured to a small seating space, asking: “Need anythin’ ta drink?” Scout violently shook his head, then continued to gawk at the interior of the camper. “Never seen a camper before, lad?”, Sniper inquired, grinning. The boy seemed so amazed at the simple interior of his camper, it was almost charming - what simple things he found joy in. Scout chuckled and answered: ”I haven’t. I’m quite amazed you manage to live in this! Where do you piss?” After a second of hesitation on Sniper’s side, Scout grimaced. “Jars? Really, man?” 

Sniper laughed and turned to make some coffee. “Well, boy”, he started, “what made ya consider readin’?”, changing the topic. Scout set the book down and fiddled with his bandages, struggling to explain how he was simply bored and now had a new passion project. Sniper did not quite understand the Scout’s sudden excitement for reading, but why should that bother him? He would simply help the grasshopper with his new interest and then be left to live in peace for another few days or weeks again. It’s how things always went.

Scout’s stuttering was interrupted by the sound of boiling water which was Sniper’s cue to get his coffee and sit down opposite the lad. “Now, can ya tell me what’s the book ‘bout?” At this question, Scout looked to Sniper with a blank expression, then down at the book on the table between them. “Unfortunately, I have no idea”, he exclaimed and sank his head onto the table, which was met with a sympathetic hum on Sniper’s side. “We all start somewhere”, he mumbled and took the book. Quickly reading the title, he started chuckling, much to the embarrassment of Scout - the boy sure doesn’t know how to read, does he? “Ya see, Scout, ya might’ve to go back to doc with this book.”

Scout rose up again and protested: “I absolutely can’t!” Sniper startled at that. “Soz, it’s just, ya know, I took the book to prove to him that I CAN read - I can’t just crawl back and tell him jack ‘bout how I failed.” Sniper nodded, then smiled.  
“Well lad, I don’t think it’s a book to ya likin’ - it’s ‘bout apes fuckin’.”  
Scout looked at Sniper for a good, silent while, then violently slammed his head on the table. “Augh!” Sniper sympathetically knocked on the table and sipped his coffee. Then, they sat in silence for a bit, only occasionally lightened by Scout’s whining.

Sniper sighed and stood up to put the mug back after finishing his coffee. Ignoring the way Scout didn’t even seem to notice his absence, he was reaching out to a cabinet when he noticed a book in a corner of his counter. A book about animals that his mother had given him when he was younger - not a mere child, but still younger. It was written in simple language for amateurs and absolute newbies, maybe Scout could try his luck with that book?

Sniper took it and walked back to the table. Instead of sitting down he tapped Scout’s shoulder and waited for him to move. The younger almost sleepily raised his head and looked at Sniper curiously and - man, he looks like a puppy. “Whazzup, dude?”  
Sniper lifted the book up and then let it fall next to Scout’s arms, slightly regretting the lack of tact he possessed as Scout flinched. “Ya see”, Sniper picked up. “Remembered this book my mum gave me, when I was a small one. Wanna try ta read it?” 

Scout looked at it. And then kept looking at it and taking his sweet time with it - slowly reading the title, Sniper figured - until he broke the silence by gasping happily. “Snipes, I think I can read dis!” He happily grabbed the book, practically beaming, then looked at Sniper. “Dude”, he started. “You’re a lifesaver!”  
Sniper smiled and nodded, then said: “Sure I am. Now, shouldn’t you shoo and practice readin’?”

Scout faked a hurt expression. “Gasp! Kickin’ me out like this … shameless, mister Sniper. Shameless!” Despite his wild exclamations, Scout was giggling while grabbing the book tighter and getting up.  
“But, you’re right. How am I s’posed to prove how great I am when I can’t even read?”, Scout said, already turning to leave. Just as he was about to wave goodbye and probably excitedly run back to the privacy of his room, Sniper cleared his throat.  
“Aren’t ya forgettin’ something, lad?”

Scout thought about it and shook his head. “No?”, he half said, half asked. Sniper exhaled through his nose and threw the Doc’s book at Scout. “Don’t screw it up with Doc’s books now”, he said, then waved. Scout flashed a last big grin, then ran out of the camper, leaving Sniper in it, all alone again.

Sniper sat down and thought about the short intrusion to his home. Lad probably pestered him for no more than 15 minutes, yet he was already exhausted. He wondered what it would be like to have a person with such mood swings around more often, then groaned. 

Sniper was not a very social person - even in his childhood, he barely talked to anybody but his parents. It’s not like he did not like the company at all, it’s more so the fact that he and his family lived on a far-away cottage and his only way of meeting other people was through school which he finished with around 14 years. Additionally to that the hardships of living out in the country prevented him from attending school numerous times and before he knew it, he barely even learnt how to bond with people. 

He groaned. He did not want to muse about his own shortcomings he himself was actually even fine with, but there he was, sitting in his small seating niche, doing exactly that. Just being with a bright person like Scout for a short period of time put him into that state.

However, he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the company. 

Maybe being as lonely as him wasn’t entirely fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy this chap is short AND late schools just been kickin my arse xoxo shoutout to germany for keeping schools OPENNNN

**Author's Note:**

> haiii i sure hope my long paragraphs arent hard to readdddd if they are tho tell me and ill change it for yalls


End file.
